This invention relates to a printing apparatus for printing a variety of information such as images and characters to a recording medium, such as a card, and more particularly to a printing apparatus that is capable of selecting printing methods according to the characteristics of the recording medium or the information that is to be printed.
Conventionally, thermal transfer method printing apparatuses that record desired images and characters by thermally transferring with a thermal head via a thermal transfer film to a recording medium are used to create card shaped recording medium, like credit cards, cash cards, license cards and ID cards. As an example, Japanese disclosure Tokkaihei 9-131930 teaches a direct transfer method printing apparatus that directly transfers images and characters to a recording medium via thermal transfer film. The use of a thermal sublimate ink has the benefit of attaining high quality images because this type of ink is more expressive. However, a receptive layer to receive ink on the surface of a recording medium to which images, etc., are transferred is an essential element to enable this method of printing, so a problem exists in that either the type of recording medium that can be used is limited, or it is necessary to form the aforementioned receptive layer upon the surface of a recording medium.
Generally, cards made of polyvinyl chloride (also known as PVC cards) are widely used as the recording medium because they can receive thermal sublimate ink. However, due to the fact that harmful substances are generated when these cards are burned, there has been consideration given to switching to cards made of polyethylene terephthalate (also known as PET cards). However, PET cards have a crystal-like quality so not only is it difficult to use them for thermal sublimate printing, but embossing them is also difficult. Thus, if it is necessary to emboss the surface of the recording medium, the use of PVC cards is presently unavoidable.
Furthermore, in recent years, there are card shaped media of the type having IC chips or antennae embedded therein such as IC cards, which are being used in a variety of fields. Because of the embedding of such elements into the card, the surface of the card becomes uneven resulting in problems in transferring images.
Japanese disclosure Tokkaihei 8-58124 teaches the technology of an indirect transfer method printing apparatus that transfers an image to an intermediate transfer medium once, then transfers that image again to the recording medium, as a method for overcoming the aforementioned problems. According to this method, it is possible to overcome the problems such as the limitation of recording medium related to the receptive layer or the transferring of images to an uneven surface of the recording medium which had been considered demerits of the direct transfer method. Furthermore, this method has the advantage of being easier to printing to the entire surface of the card shaped recording medium compared to the direct transfer method.
Disclosed in Tokkaihei 8-58125 is a thermal transfer printing apparatus that prints to both the front and back surfaces of a recording paper, configured to transfer ink to an intermediate transfer film using a thermal head and after forming an image, to re-transfer the ink image to a recording paper surface by a heat roller, and configured to transfer ink to the back side of a recording paper with a thermal head that is different from the aforementioned thermal head, the thermal head for transferring ink to the back surface of the recording paper surface interposed by an ink film is opposingly arranged to a heat roller for the retransfer process.
However, running costs for the intermediate transfer method are higher than the direct transfer method because an intermediate transfer medium must be used. Printing also takes longer. Furthermore, depending on the design of the card, even if the entire front surface is required for printing, often times only the back side is used to print precautions for card use, thus there are fewer cases requiring printing over the entire surface. Thus, it can be said that there are merits and demerits for both methods of printing. Furthermore, to print to both front and back surfaces of a recording medium on the same thermal transfer printing apparatus according to the apparatus disclosed in Tokkaihei 8-58125, it is necessary for the transport speed to be different for the recording medium when being processed by the heat roller or the thermal head. When both surfaces of the recording medium are heated, it has been pointed out that the problem of poor peeling of the film occurs as a result of the high temperature of the intermediate transfer film.
Therefore, to handle information relating to printing, such as the surface shape and characteristics of the recording medium including the type of material of the recording medium such as whether it is PVC or PET, embossed, or whether or not it includes an IC element and whether or not it is necessary to print to the entire surface of the recording medium, the printing apparatus is able to select printing methods between the direct transfer method and the indirect transfer method. By sharing portions of the members for the direct transfer method and the intermediate transfer medium, the merits related to both methods of printing were employed thereby allowing for a low cost printing apparatus. This contributed to wide spread use of such printing apparatuses. Also, it is also thought that such apparatuses grew in use partly because of the improvements attained for printing speeds.
An object of the present invention is to provide a low cost printing apparatus that can select the direct transfer method and the indirect transfer method for printing to recording medium and that is not large in overall size.
Still another object of the present invention is to improve printing speed while providing a printing apparatus that increases printing speed when printing with either the direct printing or the indirect printing.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus that can print high quality images with both the direct transfer method and the indirect transfer method while satisfying expanding demands on printing to recording medium.
In order to attain the aforementioned objectives, the print apparatus according to the present invention is equipped with at least one printing means for selectively forming an image to a recording medium and to an intermediate transfer medium, a transfer means for transferring the image formed on the aforementioned intermediate transfer medium to the aforementioned recording medium and a recording media transport path for transporting the aforementioned recording medium, the aforementioned printing means and the aforementioned transfer means being opposingly arranged on the aforementioned recording media transport path and are arranged offset along the aforementioned recording media transport path.
The printing apparatus is equipped with a support means to support the aforementioned recording medium or the aforementioned intermediate transfer medium when forming images using the aforementioned first printing means, the support means arranged in a substantially horizontal direction with the aforementioned transfer means along the aforementioned recording media transport path and opposingly arranged to the aforementioned first printing means. The aforementioned first printing means selectively forms images on the first recording medium and the aforementioned intermediate transfer medium, the aforementioned support means supports the aforementioned first recording medium or the aforementioned intermediate transfer medium when forming images using the aforementioned first printing means and the aforementioned transfer means transfers images formed on the aforementioned intermediate transfer medium to the second recording medium.
Also equipped is the second printing means to form images on the aforementioned recording medium. The first printing means and the second printing means are opposingly arranged to the aforementioned recording media transport path. When arranged in that manner, the aforementioned first printing means and the aforementioned second printing means are arranged offset along the aforementioned recording media transport path.
Note that further equipped is the second printing means for forming images on the aforementioned recording medium, the first printing means and the second printing means are arranged in series along the aforementioned recording media transport path and the aforementioned first printing means and second printing means can also be configured to be opposingly arranged to the aforementioned recording media transport path.
Also comprised are the first mode for forming images on the aforementioned recording medium using the aforementioned first printing means and the second mode for forming images on the aforementioned intermediate transfer medium using the aforementioned first printing means and for transferring those images to the aforementioned recording medium using the aforementioned transfer means, and also provided is a mode selection means for selecting the aforementioned first mode and the aforementioned second mode.
There is also comprised a consecutive mode that links the aforementioned first mode and the aforementioned second mode, the aforementioned mode selection means capable of selecting the first mode and the second mode.
It is preferred to equip the apparatus with a recording medium transport speed control means that controls the transport speed of the aforementioned recording medium when forming images thereupon using the aforementioned printing means so that it differs from the transport speed of the aforementioned recording medium when transferring thereto images formed on the aforementioned intermediate transfer medium using the aforementioned transfer means.
Other objectives and features of the present invention shall be clearly explained in a detailed description of the preferred embodiment below based upon the drawings provided.